Medvedev Visits Crimea After Kerry Calls Incursion 'Illegal'

MOSCOW -- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited Crimea Monday -- less than 24 hours after Secretary of State John Kerry met with his Russian counterpart in a bid to ease tensions over Moscow's annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine.

Medvedev took several government officials with him on the highest-level visit to Crimea since President Vladimir Putin signed legislation on absorbing it into Russia on March 21.

Simferopol. Today Government will meet here to discuss development in #Crimea. Streaming on @GovernmentRF

His arrival came hours after Kerry told reporters he had a “frank” conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, telling him that the U.S. considers Russia’s actions in Ukraine to be “illegal and illegitimate.”

The “large” presence of Russian forces “are creating a climate of fear and intimidation in Ukraine,” Kerry said.